Girl Scouts, Rec Department make crafts

Meet Tava J. Colburn, a 6-year-old second grader at St. Marguerite DYouville Academy in Ogdensburg and a Girl Scout.

Tava spent Monday morning at Hamilton Street Park indulging in a double pleasure. She took part in the city Parks and Recreation Departments crafts day at the park.

She also joined the Girl Scouts, whose representatives were in the park to inform and recruit for their organization.

Count Tava in.

Because its fun and I like arts and crafts and stuff, she said.

Tavas mother, Kimberly A. Colburn, was delighted that her daughter was signing up for actually returning to the Girl Scouts. She said the organization is already helping to instill some lifelong values in her daughter.

Working as a team, doing things for the community, she said. Lifes lessons learned at a young age.

Barbara A. Iwinski, community development manager for Watertown-based Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways, sees events like Mondays as opportunities to spread the word.

Wed like all girls to come and join us, she said.

Ms. Iwinski and NYPENN Pathways Community Development Program Manager Karen Strife know that its no easy chore to stay with the full Scouts program from the kindegarten-first grade Daisy level to the top, the ambassadors for 11th- and 12th-graders.

We realize that the girls are really busy and that the parents are also really busy, she said.

Five percent go all the way, Ms. Strife added. Thats typical. Theres sports. And they have other interests.

NYPENN Pathways and the city parks and rec programs will collaborate this summer at Hamilton Street Park on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and at Belmont Courts from 1 to 4 p.m. Activities include community service projects such as the creation of healing stones for Hospice, games, songs and learning about Girl Scouts.

Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways serves nearly 19,000 girls in a 26-county area in New York and Pennsylvania. Volunteers provide services with an emphasis on leadership experience to girls.

In addition to Watertown, there are regional NYPENN Pathways offices in Cicero, Horseheads, New Hartford, Johnson City and Phelps.

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